Tale As Old As Time
by Crona4
Summary: Enchanted Forest AU in which Belle goes on a search, looking for Rumplestiltskin in order to strike a deal to save her kingdom from the Ogre Wars. Watch as they develop their relationship in a new way that hopefully has a better ending. Rated K but subject to change in the future.
1. Chapter 1- The Search

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm back with my very first ongoing Rumbelle story as opposed to my other one-shots c:. For those of you who have read my Frozen fanfictions, no I do not plan on continuing them, but who knows what the future holds? /shrugs/ Either way, I have a couple ideas for this one and it had been gnawing at me for a few days now ahah :3.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters, they are the property of their respective owners. I am simply using them for my own writing experiences.**

"Yes, papa. I promise I'm just going out for an evening stroll, you know, to stretch my legs after reading for so long. And yes, before you ask, I promise if I find an ogre or any enemy I will go to the nearest guard, alert him, and come straight back."

Belle was lying. It broke her own heart to know that she was lying to her father about everything, but it had to be done. She knew that it would nearly break him when she didn't return and that she'd be crushing his heart like she crushed the grapes she picked right before she ate them, a habit she'd picked up from her mother before she'd passed away.

It had been just her and her papa for years now, and she understood how many search parties he'd send out to find her, but it none would find her. Not until she was done with what she had to do. Her father might have been too afraid to confront or search for the Dark One, and she was almost too frightened as well as she knew his deals always had a downside, but she wanted to be brave like her mother.

She remembered hearing stories from her father of how her mother, Colette had saved him countless times from a multitude of different creatures when he was just a prince. Her mother would be clad completely in men's armor so he hadn't found out she was female until he wandered about one day and got lost. It had been winter and he seemed like a pretty tasty treat to some of the wolves there.

When Colette had attacked them, one of the wolves sliced through the soft padding at the knees. Colette and Maurice had had to camp the night since it was too dark out to venture more, and Colette was pressured into taking her mask off.

One thing had led to another and then Belle was born. She had learned a lot from her mother when she was smaller, for example the importance and the adventures held in books that had awed Belle so much. Now the stories about her mother would come in handy. She'd need the courage to do what she was about to do.

She was about to head out when an arm crossed in front of her, stopping her. She looked up eagerly, hoping it was her father holding her back so she wouldn't have to do this. Instead she was met with a broad, handsome face that brought disappointment down on her hard. "Yes Gaston?" she inquired, hoping to get away from her betrothed as soon as possible.

Gaston's face was set into a tight line. He didn't like to let her out of his sight ever, which really bugged her. Especially considering almost every time he talked to her it was to suggest a child. It sickened her that he really only wanted her for her beauty and her womb. As always, her stomach did a little flip at the thought. She felt like she was going to throw up, but she knew that she wouldn't and that the feeling would wear off once he was out of her sight, as it did every time.

They'd been together for five months now and she was doing all she could to postpone the wedding, though he was not happy that he was waiting so long for his six sons. The time they had met it was when her father was introducing them after she had failed to find a man by her twenty-sixth birthday. He had tried to let her choose someone, but after ten years of availability and nothing still, he had chosen for her.

When they had talked for the first time, it was going well…For about a minute. Then he brought up how stunning he was and how he would love her forever and how he wanted six or seven sons with her and it had all gone downhill from there.

She could never love someone as superficial as Gaston, especially after all the tales her mother had once told her about the secret of love. Her mother used to tell her that love was a mystery and came at random, and that you didn't always know it the moment it's there. She had given Gaston a chance for a few months, but now it was just ridiculous. "I'm coming with you," he insisted.

She swallowed the uneasiness rising in her throat. She was usually fine around him when she didn't really think about it and he didn't bring them as a couple into the picture. "No, that's fine," she replied. "I'm just going for a walk, I promise. I'll be back soon," she continued and then hastily shoved his arm aside, leaving as soon as she could.

The cold, crisp autumn air hit her as she stepped outside, and she paused to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. The sensation Gaston had brought on was already vanished, washed aside by the fresh air she loved so much. She had a pale red cloak draped over her shoulders, dragging along on the ground behind her thin white dress. She would have worn the yellow one that Gaston wanted her to wear, but that one was poufy and not good for traveling.

No, she needn't be slowed down at all. This was her kingdom's safety at risk, and she didn't want to take any chances. She would have brought a basket of fruit but she figured that she could easily pick what she needed out in the foliage. After all, winter hadn't quite arrived yet. The plants were still alive and covered with leaves, despite the fact that they were changing color and drifting off.

She walked quietly through the kingdom, telling her lie whenever she was asked what she was doing. It was not common for her to be out alone, as Gaston loved to tag along, but the citizens seemed to accept her offer, believing her for now. She couldn't help but imagine what the Dark One would be like. Of course, she had heard many retellings and myths about him, some understandable and others pure insanity.

As a young child, her father used to tell her about how if she didn't get to bed he'd call up the Dark One and he'd come and eat her, but of course he never meant it and Belle knew that…now. Back then, she had been a little more gullible, of course. After all, who was she to question the humanity of the beast?

She soon reached the gates leading out of the small kingdom, and ordered the guards to let her out, convincing them fully that she was just out for a stroll. She really hated to lie, but she had to do this. She easily slipped out into the fields, veering away from the path and heading towards the mountains. She had been reading several books on the Dark One earlier and it is said he lived in the mountains, in a dark castle all alone.

It also stated that he hated being disturbed and is not afraid to kill, but she chose to ignore that part for now.

She reached a tiny, two-foot cliff (if you would even call it that) and jumped down easily, frowning down at her feet as she landed. _Dang it!_ She thought to herself. _I could have sworn I'd brought flats…_ She continued for she stared down at her four-inch heels crunching in the leaves as she walked forwards. She gave a little sigh. Oh well.

She was walking onwards to the mountains for around two hours and her feet felt like they were going to fall off. She mentally cursed at the shoes and paused to try and force one off but it just dug into her heel. That's when she heard the growling.

It was very beastly and animal-sounding, like something she'd only read. She put her foot down and cautiously turned around. The sight she was met with chilled her to the bone. There were three wolves snarling viciously and creeping closer, ever closer to her… She bit back a scream and took one step back for every step they took forwards.

Then, just like the clumsy klutz she had always been, one of her shoes snapped on a twig, and after that, it was like someone had hit play. The wolves howled and leaped towards her, but at the same moment she turned and fled, her heart beating wildly in her chest. Okay, she had to admit that she had basically asked for this with her whole adventure fetish, but she hadn't expected adventure to be quite like this. Sure she had read many a story that contained scenes like this but reading it and experiencing it were quite different, she found.

She ran as fast as she could, though her heels were definitely slowing her down a lot. The sun was beginning to disappear down behind the mountains, the sharp peaks poking at the blazing figure in the sky. She had only so much more daylight left, and when night came, she wouldn't be able to see well enough to escape the wolves.

One wolf, the strongest looking one in particular, caught up with her within minutes and was hot on her heels. Unfortunately for her, the undergrowth was becoming thicker, and she stumbled slightly. The wolf took this opportunity and leapt at her, sinking its teeth into her shoulder. She cried out in pain and shook the wolf off of her, clawing at its muzzle with her fingernails until it released, the skin being ripped away from her in a painful tear. She didn't have time to dwell on the injury, though. She had to go.

Belle soon found herself in the woods, which she had tried to avoid until now. She couldn't help but think back to the story of when her father and mother really connected for the first time, and how it had been during a wolf attack such as this one.

She was stumbling over tree roots in her haste, and she was nearing the edge of the forest when suddenly her heel caught on one of them, breaking and essentially tripping her. She gasped in pain as her ankle twisted with the outstretched root, but somehow it had gotten tangled in the undergrowth.

Desperately she tried to free it, but the wolves were coming closer. She could see them approaching at a fast pace, and was glad that she had had the mind to make confusing twists and turns earlier to save herself this much time. She knew she was going to die, though. She had known it the moment she had seen the ferocious glint in the lead wolf's eye. As the wolves leaped towards her, the only thing she could think was how disappointed in herself she was that she wasn't able to save her kingdom.

Right before the largest wolf's claws scraped her skin, though; all three of them seemed to freeze in the air. Literally. There was a bluish glow enveloping them, keeping them suspended in the air, jaws open and claws reaching for her.

"Looking for me, dearie?"

Belle turned her head sharply at the voice. To the right of her, sitting on a mossy rock, was a man resembling an imp. His skin was a scaly-looking greenish gold that was unlike the skin of a normal person. His eyes were deep and dark, and oh so murky, like bottomless wells of mystery. He had a wide smile on his face that scared her slightly. He let out an impish giggle at the astonished and confused look on her face.

With the weirdness of his being, he could only be one person. "Rumplestiltskin," she uttered quietly, more of a statement than a question, though he answered anyway.

"Yes," he replied, standing up and performing a small little skip over to her, bowing before her even though she was still on the ground. "I can hear when someone calls out for me," he continued in that odd voice of his.

Belle furrowed her brow, seemingly vexed by his words. "But… I-I didn't call out for you?" she responded, sounding rather uncertain of herself before correcting her unsureness. "No… I didn't call out at all."

The dark imp let out another one of his weird laughs as he snapped his fingers, the wolves disappearing in a flash. "Oh, but you did dearie," he insisted. "You may not have known it or heard it, but you did. Never underestimate the power of the mind!" he exclaimed with a wide smile.

Belle contemplated this a tiny bit. Yes, she supposed she had been thinking about him slightly, when before she had focused on the tales of her mother. This time, though, she had been thinking about how he was her last chance to save her kingdom, to be the hero, and she wasn't even going to be able to take the chance.

Rumplestiltskin flicked his hand and the roots untangled, receding into the ground. Cautiously Belle used the tree to stand up, biting her lip to keep from voicing the pain in her ankle. She was almost completely sure she'd sprained it. She tried to keep her mind off of her shoulder before the adrenaline wore off and the pain became unbearable.

"Why did you save me?"

Her question sliced through the air, her voice cautious and confused, matching her wary face. She definitely didn't trust him, but he could sense that she was open to speaking to him and, of course, dealing with him. His grin remained plastered on his face. "I simply spared your life. And that is only because I know that you are looking for a deal," he responded smoothly. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "Yes, yes, I know what you want dearie. You want me to protect your little town. The real question is what I want from you."

Belle closed her mouth. Opened it again, closed it. She finally tried to force the shock and bewilderment off of her face to keep an empty face, but failed miserably. So instead she just took a deep breath and let it out slowly, gathering all the courage she needed for her next question. "What do you want from me?"

She was terrified of the look on his face, mischievous and dark and mysterious all at once, but she did not back down. He walked over to her, brushing her hair off of her shoulder and leaning in so his mouth was right next to her ear. "Wouldn't you like to know," he quipped, before letting his magic transport him a few feet away with enveloping purple mist and a giggle as she swiveled around to face him.

"Well, yes, I would like to know," she spoke slowly, carefully. She didn't want to say the wrong thing for fear that it might damage her own life or the life of someone she held dear. "I'd give anything. Gold, items, my books, anything!"

"It's funny you say that. Very well," Rumplestiltskin agreed after two minutes, pacing slowly before her as her eyes raced his every move. "I'm looking for a caretaker for my rather large estate," he told her finally. He could tell she was perplexed and so very curious, so he continued. "And that caretaker, dearie, shall be you."

Her eyes filled with alarm briefly before she regained control of her wild emotions. A full minute had passed before she responded. "My family… My friends… They will all live?" she questioned, her heart racing a mile a minute.

"You have my word. Just know that it's forever."

Belle had her decision. "Then you have mine. I will go with you," she declared. "Forever."


	2. Chapter 2- The Man Peeking Out

**I meant to get it across last time, but I know that Belle's mother is not actually how I spoke of her. I wrote this before tonight's episode, so I just wrote her how I wanted her to be :). I, uh, I hope you guys like this chapter c:.**

"You will serve me my meals…and you will clean the Dark Castle."

"I, uh, I understand."

"You will dust my collection and launder my clothing."

"Yes."

"You will fetch me fresh straw when I'm spinning at the wheel."

"Got it."

"Oh! And you will skin the children I hunt for their pelts."

The teacup fell out of Belle's hands and hit the floor with a tiny plink. She stared at Rumplestiltskin, her eyes portraying her terror. No, she could not skin children. He couldn't ask her to do that! That would ruin her entire life… She didn't care what she promised; she was not going to do that. Not innocent children.

Belle's left shoulder burned with a pain unlike any other she had ever felt before. Rumplestiltskin had silently decided to heal her sprained ankle with magic so that she could keep up with his pace but he did nothing about her shoulder. When she asked him to at least dull the pain, he stated that it was the price she had to pay for him keeping the wolves away from her throat.

She was still in her yellow dress. Nothing else had been provided for her. It was the day after coming and the top left half of her dress, particularly the back, was soaked with her blood. There was nothing she could do about it. She had tried to tend to it last night, but she didn't have anything. 'Her room' was barren and cold and the chilly air hadn't done well for her wound. Still, she knew better than to complain about it.

Not a single tear had been shed. In fact, Belle refused to cry. If she cried in front of the beast, she'd show weakness when the only thing she wanted to show was bravery, determination, and confidence. She thought she would cry last night, but the tears simply had not come. In fact, she had wanted to cry, to let it out, but she hadn't been able to.

Rumplestiltskin smiled at her, that strange impish smile of his. "That one was a quip," he informed her. "Not serious."

Belle sighed in relief, her heartbeat slowing down a little bit whereas before it had been racing with the thought of skinning children. It wouldn't have been possible. Just then she remembered the teacup full of tea that she had dropped. Immediately her cheeks flushed and she turned her face down to hide it, crouching to retrieve the cup.

She filled with disappointment as she found it. Luckily it wasn't shattered, but it wasn't whole either. It had a little chip in it. She ignored the brown puddle on the floor-she would clean that later-and ran her finger over the indentation once. There were no extra shards. "I, uh, I'm sorry…" she uttered as she slowly rose. "It's…it's chipped. Y-you can hardly see it."

She held it up for him to examine, trying to hide her embarrassment. Rumplestiltskin seemed to study it for a few moments, his opaque eyes settling on the chipped teacup before he responded. "It's just a cup," he said as she stood up completely, feeling as if daggers were being inserted in every inch of her shoulder.

Belle attempted to cover up her relief but probably failed miserably, placing the teacup back on the tray and trying to stop her slightly shaking hands. She didn't need this mortification. Not in front of him. She could let her humiliation out later, when she was alone. For now, she had to be strong.

Rumplestiltskin then ordered her to clean up the spill and she made her way to the kitchen, where a bucket filled with water and a rag was already waiting. She glanced back at the door to the dining room, shaking her head slightly. Of course he had used his magic to make the bucket appear so the liquid got cleaned quicker. She grabbed the bucket and the rag before returning to the room. He wasn't in there anymore, she decided as she got to work.

XXX

Rumplestiltskin waited until his maid was done with the tea on the floor before he assigned her to dusting and polishing his items in another room. He walked cautiously over to the table, more specifically to the tea tray. She had forgotten to put it away. He snorted in contempt. Foolish girl.

His fingers skimmed the cups lightly before they came to a rest. There it was. The chipped teacup. He picked it up gingerly and held it out in front of him, in the light of the chandelier. He gently traced the chip in it, the meaning of it dawning on him, as well as the reason he was so drawn to it. He viewed it as a metaphor. The chipped teacup reminded him of himself.

He used to be whole. He used to be a man. He even had a son and a wife, but then something had been said. A few words to start his downfall, crashing towards the ground. Those were the Seer's words about his son in comparison to his little quip. From then on he had been falling, falling as the coward he made himself. When he hit the ground was when he cracked and became the Dark One. When he chipped. Now he could never be whole again, he could never fill his chip. He had had the chance with Bae, but he didn't take it. Kind of like how he could have fixed it with magic, but he still didn't. Even if he wanted to, his servant had already thrown away the missing piece, just like he threw away Bae, his missing piece.

He shook his head quickly. No, he told himself. It's just a cup. Nothing more than a damaged cup. Still, he carefully set the chipped teacup back on the tray with the rest of them and walked away after securing that it would not fall.

XXX

"I want every single guard we have out there. We will not stop until my princess is found. No one will eat; no one will sleep until Belle is home with me."

"Yes, sir," the general replied to his king, bowing and backing away.

King Maurice's heart throbbed painfully with each passing second. Why would she run away? He had given her everything. She had had food, happiness, books, free will-wait a minute… He thought about it. It was Gaston. Gaston was why she was running away. The prince must have become too much for her. Maurice's mouth set into a firm line.

Gaston chased away his daughter. There was only one thing he could do. "General!" he barked. The general returned hastily, his chin raising as he saluted his king. "On second thought, we can spare just a few guards."

"For what, your majesty?" the guard asked.

Maurice gave a sinister smile, though it was not reflected in his eyes. "The execution of Sir Gaston to take place in three weeks' time, on charge of forcing away Princess Belle. I want his arrested immediately and kept in the cell."

XXX

Belle swept the floor wordlessly, her shoulder aching terribly. She looked around, searching to make sure that Rumplestiltskin really was in his lab instead of in the kitchen. She couldn't find him anywhere, and she didn't feel his presence. Her disdain for him had worn down a tiny bit after the teacup earlier that day, but she still despised him and how he never gave her the chance to say goodbye to her family and friends.

Either way, she had been the one to agree so quickly on account of them being safe. She sighed to herself; if only she had requested to see them one more time. It would have helped her heartache and she might have even been able to get a bandage for her shoulder. But no, she had to tend to it the best she could now.

She had taken great care not to dump the bucket of water from cleaning the tea. It was dirty, yes, but it was the best she had. She leaned the broomstick against a wall and walked over to the bucket on the floor, retrieving the rag from inside of the murky water. The rag dripped and she hurried to hold it over her shoulder, trying to clean her wound. She cried out in pain once as the water seeped into the injury, but then bit her tongue so hard she almost drew blood from there too. Almost.

She clenched her fists in pain and then unclenched them, letting her shaky free hand reach over and tenderly touch the bite, wincing as it came back with dirty blood. She hoped that only tea had been tainting the water, unless he had tricked her and read her mind somehow. She wasn't sure how well that would fare for cleaning the injury, but it was worth a try.

The water itself was only slightly colored, a faint brown color that reminded her of his eyes, only lighter. She couldn't help then but to wonder what he looked like without the curse. She couldn't imagine it, though, and returned to drip more moisture into her wound, sweating and gritting her teeth together in agony, very unladylike. She didn't have to be ladylike anymore, though. She was a servant now, not a princess. Just a hollow shell of what she used to be.

The tears still did not spill. She couldn't believe-"What are you doing?"

Belle jumped at the sound of the voice, nearly knocking the bucket over and dropping the rag. Her shoulder was soaked and bleeding. She turned towards the door where Rumplestiltskin waltzed in, looking rather confused but oddly enough, he didn't seem vexed.

Belle blushed profusely, stuttering as she tried to explain. Finally she took a deep breath, let it out, and composed herself. She lifted her chin, a defiant glint in her eye. "I am cleaning my wound."

"No you're not," Rumplestiltskin replied quickly and easy, no hint of hesitation in his voice.

Belle began to worry slightly, her eyes widening slightly. Oh no, now she was in for it. She didn't think he looked angry, but she also didn't know what he looked like when he was angry, and didn't want to find out. Still, though, she kept her chin high as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Rumplestiltskin walked over to her. What was he doing? He didn't even know. He peered into the water, and frowned slightly. "You're not cleaning your wound. You're making it worse," he told her harshly. "Now, you wouldn't clean floors with dirty water, would you dearie?" he asked, but answered for her before she could. "No, you wouldn't."

After he finished speaking, he flicked his wrist at the bucket and all dirty particles rose out of the water and dissipated in the air. Belle gaped at the sight, her mouth hanging open and eyes wide. She had no words. Rumplestiltskin shot her a hard glance. "Close your mouth, you'll catch flies."

With that, he strolled out of the room, snapping his fingers as the doors shut behind him. Belle stared after him, still shocked. She closed her mouth even so, smiling as she crouched to properly clean her shoulder.

XXX

Belle sat in her dungeon cell, her room, and stared at the wall. He had helped her, cared for her. He wasn't all a monster. She discarded that though quickly. Of course he was, he obviously just didn't want to lose his servant as soon as he got her, right? That was the most logical explanation.

She leaned her head back against the wall, trying to ignore the searing in her shoulder. She had read stories about characters being injured by all sorts of creatures, but reading it and experiencing it were two completely different things. She now decided that she had a new respect for those characters.

Still, she could not get over the fact that he had helped her. Her shoulder might have gotten infected had ne not stepped in. But he did, and it was without a second thought. He had even told her to close her mouth as to not go through an unpleasant time. Slowly, one tiny tear slipped out of her eye. It began to crawl slowly down her cheek, but she paid it no mind. She let it reach her chin before wiping it away.

More tears began to fall and before she knew it, she found herself curled in a little ball, her head against her knees as she silently wept. She wept for her father. She wept for Gaston. She wept for the wolves. She wept for her mother. She wept for her books. She wept for her shoulder. She wept for the fear coursing through her veins. But most of all, she wept for Rumplestiltskin. She wept for the man peeking out behind the monster that night.


	3. Chapter 3- Rude Awakenings

**A/N: Ugh, sorry this took so long :\. I've been a little busy with Shows and Band and everything but... You know. Yeah... xD. Anyway, this fic is still a little rocky, I know ;-;. I'm trying to smooth it out as best as I can. And in reply to a guest, yes, her dress was white in the first chapter, I just forgot /facepalm/ x-x. Anyway... Hope you like this chapter and please review as it always encourages me and makes me smile :). **

Eventually, somewhere along the way, Belle had cried herself to sleep. In hours, the sun was peeking over the horizon, the snowy mountaintops poking it awake. Unfortunately for Belle, the sun couldn't wake her up without windows in her room. No, her alarm was much more vexing.

"Wake up!" barked a rough voice, rather unpleasant sounding in manner. Belle stirred sleepily, her eyes red and cheeks puffy from last night. She murmured something before sitting up, rubbing her eyes and stretching and-_OW!_

She gasped in pain as her stiff shoulder stretched, causing searing torture to rip through her arm and shoulder blade. Tears pricked at her eyes but she blinked them away, her face falling as she remembered where she was, and then who she was with. She immediately scrambled to her feet and faced Rumplestiltskin guiltily, not knowing what to say.

Rumplestiltskin was seething. That much she could tell by just looking at him. His skin seemed to prickle and his eyes shone with an unmistakable anger that terrified her deep down in the depths of her soul. "I said I wanted you up and cleaning at 6:30!" he roared at her. Belle blushed in regret as she did remember him telling her that yesterday when she had almost overslept. "Now it is 8:15 and you are just waking up! There's things that need to be done dearie; places that need to be cleaned!"

Belle opened her mouth once, closed it, and then opened it again before words actually came out. "I-I'm sorry, I usually wake up earlier but I guess it's because I didn't have sunlight to wake me up…" she covered quickly, trying to hide her humiliation and fear. Then suddenly, she realized that she needn't cower under him. He was just a big bully. She tightened her jaw. "Actually, you know what? I'm not you; I don't have an internal clock to tell me when it's time to wake up. I'm not magic," she braved.

"Fine, if you need sunlight so badly to awaken, I will give you sunlight!" Rumplestiltskin raged, and flicked his hand. Then he disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

The next morning, Belle found herself awakening to an impenetrable white beam at exactly 6 o'clock that burned her eyes and nearly branded her brain. She had been less than pleased about the ray and the way it had scared her so. She knew then that whatever she had seen that one time, whatever it was that made Rumplestiltskin appear almost human that once, was merely an illusion, a mirage to toy with her mind.

Rumplestiltskin was a beast; a coldhearted monster. He could never love, never appreciate, only hate. He was a creature of darkness, she knew, but her thoughts had angered her. She wondered if anyone had ever tried being nice to him; if anyone ever tried not flinching when he yelled or wincing when they got a good look at him. He really didn't look _that_ bad, but upon meeting him for the first time he could look rather intimidating. But he was the menace of the realm, the villain. No one would be nice to him. They simply didn't think he deserved it.

She particularly was not fond of him for he treated her harshly and he had stolen her from her family-no, that wasn't right. She went willingly. But still she found it within her soul the courage to overlook that however briefly at times. That day he had been spinning at the wheel. She walked over to him, confident as she could be. She sat down right next to him and simply stared at him. He had stopped spinning and looked back at her.

No words were exchanged yet. They just watched each other even though neither of them was moving. He was trying to think of something to order her to do, but all words had left his brain at the way she was looking at him. The intensity in her gaze had him refraining from twitching. She stared, and then breathed, and then blinked. Stared, breathed, and blinked. Stared, breathed, and blinked.

The coward within him wanted to shy away from her, even though he knew that he was the all-powerful Dark One and she was but a silly, foolish girl. She was nothing compared to him. She was scrawny, really, now that he thought about it. Had he been giving her enough to eat? Of course he had, she had everything in the kitchen at her disposal.

Rumplestiltskin noticed how she was still wearing the same plain dress, her hair messy and damaged from sweating so much without so much as a single bath allowed. A tiny pang of regret shot through him before he waved it away. Enough of that, she didn't deserve more. The deepest part of him understood, though, that something must be done about this. The entire top left part of her dress was stained with dried blood that simply would not come out when she tried to wash it out with the rag.

Belle's cerulean blue eyes searched his face, though it was devoid of emotion of any kind. This frustrated her. She wanted to know more about him, to know what made him tick and what made him relax. She needed to know this to tame the beast, to save people from making terrible mistakes like she did. Little did she know she was getting under his skin. Little did she know she was-"Why is your skin like that?"

She surprised both of them with her question. She probably surprised herself more, though. Rumplestiltskin hesitated, not moving or breathing for a good ten seconds before he finally replied. "Because of the Dark Curse, of course," he answered in a low, hoarse voice. He didn't like the way she was looking at him. Still, she just stared, breathed, and blinked.

Belle realized something that despaired her slightly. She felt more determined, though, to be nicer to him. She was curious; she wanted to know more about him. That much was true. "You think you're hideous," she commented, more of a statement than a question for she knew it was true. "You think you're uglier than you truly are. That's why you cover all the mirrors up."

Rumplestiltskin wanted to look away, but he couldn't. She got half of it right. He was horrid-looking. But that was only a tiny portion of the reason he covered the mirrors up. Obviously, this girl didn't know much about the Evil Queen. He would not indulge her now, he decided. "Go cook dinner, dearie," he told her in a quiet voice, for her stare bore into his soul almost. No. He would not have this. He would not be brought down by a little girl with little to no experience on anything. He would not be brought down by this _Belle._

He was about to yell at her to cook dinner when she opened her mouth to respond. "Alright," was all she said before she hopped down off the stool and walked away, trying to ignore the screaming in her shoulder as she made her way to the kitchen to do as he said.

XXX

Belle had officially been at the Dark Castle for five days. She had discovered but a few of the many rooms that surrounded the hallways. She was curious about each and every one, but there were a few that even she knew were bad. For example, his laboratory.

Whenever she walked past it, she felt like there was something evil lurking within the shadows of the place. Darkness radiated from that room in great waves and she didn't think she'd ever want to find out what was in there. Rumplestiltskin walked in there daily with ease, though. She couldn't quite understand it, but she figured it had to do with his curse. That was the most likely solution.

Currently Rumplestiltskin was away dealing as he had heard a 'plea for help' in his head, as he put it when she asked where he was going. She half-shrugged it away with her good shoulder and continued to sweep the floor of an extra room she didn't quite understand the meaning of but it was dirty. Her wound throbbed but she had become accustomed to the pain.

She was still wearing her white dress-though now it was more grayish brown from the dirt-that she had chosen for traveling, but the blood stain was horrid. She found a way to cover most of the red on the front of her dress with her hair, and she preferred it like that because it was not as noticeable or disturbing.

Belle swept a dust bunny away and was about to pursue it when she heard a loud shatter emanate from the dining room. She jumped, but then calmed down as she figured it was probably just Rumplestiltskin coming back from his deals. She carried her broom with her as she decided to investigate. "Rumplestiltskin? I didn't expect you to be-"she cut off as she realized it was not Rumplestiltskin, but instead someone she did not know.

Her eyes widened in sudden panic as the broom cluttered to the ground beside her. In front of her was a young man with a scruffy face and dark hair. He stared right back at her, one hand on a wand that she didn't like the feel of and the other on a beautifully-crafted ebony bow. Belle noticed the quiver of golden arrows slung over his back.

In a quick motion, the man slipped the wand into his quiver and retrieved an arrow, loading his bow quickly and aiming right at Belle as she took a step back. His eyes seemed calculating, as if he was trying to determine whether she was friend or foe.

"Don't shoot! Please," Belle gasped, her blue eyes pleading with him. "I, uh… I'm just his maid, his servant, if you will. He's not home… And that wand isn't yours," she tried to reason while his bow lowered a fraction of an inch.

"Well, no one here's going to stop me," the man spoke. His voice was laced with an accent as he lowered his bow. Swiftly he crossed over to her as he came to the conclusion that she wasn't a foe. "Quickly, we have to go; before he comes back. You don't have to stay here with that beast. You must escape before he gets to you," he told her, grabbing her left hand and starting towards the window.

A sharp cry escaped Belle's lips as her bad shoulder was yanked. She jerked her hand away, watching as he turned to face her with a look of confusion on his face. Belle stumbled back a few feet and as she did, her hair fell slightly away from her shoulder, revealing the blood. The man was appalled. "He did already get to you? We must go and treat it immediately!"

He reached for Belle again, gentler this time, but she stopped him. "No," she said. "I can't. I made a promise. I made a _deal,"_ she emphasized. "It was my eternal service in exchange for him protecting my kingdom from the Ogre Wars. I can't run or else I fear that my people would be demolished. And knowing Rumplestiltskin, it would probably be with me watching. Not to mention a wolf gave me this scar, not the Dark One. And you can't leave with that wand."

A look of despair crossed the man's face. "Please, I need this wand," he begged, disregarding everything else she had said. "My wife, she's sick. I fear that she may not survive, and even if she does, the baby sure wouldn't." His words were like daggers to Belle's heart, stabbing her repeatedly.

Belle hesitated briefly, considering the consequences, and then gave one brisk nod. "Alright. Go, help your wife and you child. I promise I won't follow you or try to stop you."

"Bless you," the man replied. "And good luck with your deal; I've heard well enough how hard it is to deal with the Dark One," he commented sincerely, meaning every word he was saying. Yes, he had heard stories of Rumplestiltskin and they weren't that bad. "I can't imagine what it would be like to live with him."

Belle half-shrugged and averted her gaze. "It's okay, I mean it's not that bad but he's not the most pleasant person to be around when he's mad," she answered with an awkward chuckle. "You're afraid of making a deal with him… Is that why you stole?" she inquired, her curiosity peeking out above her need to get him out of there.

The man hesitated before replying. "Partly, yes," he admitted, and then held his hand out. "Robin Hood," he told her as she reached out with her right hand to shake in a formal greeting.

"Belle," she responded immediately.

The man-Robin-looked at her with a calculating expression on his face, as if studying her. "Belle? As in Princess Belle of Avonlea?" he inquired a little skeptically. "I just passed through Avonlea and forgive me if I'm incorrect but you look a lot like the paintings they have posted on almost every wall and pole."

Belle gave a little sigh and stared down at her hands which were folded right in front of her. "Yes… That, uh, that's me," she tried to ignore the pain shooting through her heart at the fact that her father was looking so intently for her. She partly regretted leaving. Shame washed over her that she hadn't even told them she was leaving. She had just said that she was going on a walk, no mention of how she might not return or she might get almost eaten by wolves. Okay, the wolves were unexpected.

If she'd had known that wolves would attack her, she definitely would have taken a different route. This time she was overcome with embarrassment, though she hid what she was feeling from Robin. She felt embarrassment that she was acting like such a coward in front of this man who is as determined and brave as to break into Rumplestiltskin's castle just to save his wife and baby.

Robin took one step closer to her. "And you never told anyone where you were going? Is that why they had 'Missing' signs up?" he concluded, looking a little confused but mostly looking like he understood.

Belle nodded once. "Yes, I didn't really…" she paused, contemplating how to word her next sentence. "I didn't really know how to tell me family that I was going to conspire with a beast," she chose. "My papa didn't exactly want _him_ coming anywhere near me. Apparently my papa has encountered him before," Belle inferred with a wry laugh. "He never talked about it, but I just kind of assumed."

Robin was quiet for a long time, fiddling with his bow for a while before finally replying. "I, uh, I'm not sure I'm supposed to tell you this, but as I passed through Avonlea I picked up a little more information. It seems that on charge of chasing you away, Sir Gaston is held in the cells and his execution date is in just under three weeks."

It seemed to Belle then that time had frozen. No, she had never really liked Gaston _too_ much, but he was innocent. He wasn't the reason she had left. Her heart beat painfully in her chest but she struggled to keep her composure. This couldn't happen; she left to _save_ the lives of her friends and family and subjects, not endanger them. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Thank you for that information. Good luck with your wife and child," she responded tightly, trying to keep her fear under control.

Robin responded with a quick nod. "And good luck to you as well. I hope we meet again." And then he was out the window without a trace.


End file.
